Energy Crisis in Europe

China Urges Constructive De-escalation Dialogue Instead of Russian Oil Price Cap

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Commenting on the G7 countries' decision to impose a price cap on Russian oil, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Monday urged the relevant countries to make constructive efforts to defuse the situation through dialogue and consultations.
Sputnik

"We hope that the relevant countries will make constructive efforts to promote the detente of the situation through dialogue and consultations, and not vice versa," the spokeswoman said at a regular briefing, adding that oil, being one of the global commodities, is crucial for ensuring the security of global energy supply.

The spokeswoman did not directly answer the question whether China is considering joining the G7 initiative.
On September 2, the G7 finance ministers confirmed the plan to introduce a price cap on Russian oil and called on all countries to join the initiative. Earlier in the day, European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni said that the European Commission's goal is to introduce a price limit in accordance with the deadlines agreed under the EU's sixth sanctions package, that is, 5 December 2022 for crude oil and 5 February 2023 for petroleum products.
Russian Omsk Oil Refinery
On September 1, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak condemned the idea of imposing a price cap on Russian oil as absurd, warning that Moscow would not deliver oil and oil products to countries that support the decision. According to Dmitry Birichevsky, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's economic cooperation department, possible introduction of any price cap on Russian oil by unfriendly countries will only exacerbate energy crisis, with Moscow acting under economic expediency.
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